The Red Cross believes the situation in the Gaza Strip is so precarious that it is “beyond the scope” of what they know.
The short version
- The prolonged Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip destroyed hospitals and infrastructure, and caused food shortages. The Red Cross and CARE warn of a desperate humanitarian situation.
The summary is created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and quality guaranteed by Aftenposten journalists.
In the past 24 hours alone, 193 Palestinians were killed and 920 injured. The vast majority of them took place in what the Palestinian authorities refer to as a massacre on the outskirts of Gaza City.
A total of 30,228 Palestinians have been killed and more than 71,000 others injured in Israeli attacks since October 7, according to Palestinian health authorities. It is unclear how many Hamas fighters were killed.
– The situation in Gaza is extremely terrible. It is a situation that explodes the scale of what we have seen and what we can imagine happening.
This is what Anne Berg, Secretary General of the Red Cross, said in a press release.
There is simply not enough food and drink for the people of Gaza, and there is a high risk of famine.
Satellite images show that residents live in darkness
Most of the buildings in the Gaza Strip are destroyed or damaged after months of continuous Israeli bombing.
The wounded receive very limited health care. 24 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are completely non-functional, while others are only partially functioning and lack the fuel needed to run generators, oxygen, medicines and equipment.
Water and electricity supplies were also destroyed. CARE analyzed satellite images that show an 84 percent reduction in light in the area at night. Gaza's largest power plant has run out of fuel since October.
The issue continues below the photos
The destruction in the Gaza Strip is so enormous that it is difficult to comprehend. The situation looks bleak for people in the Gaza Strip now – both figuratively and literally, says Kaj-Martin Jorgesen, Secretary General of CARE Norway.
According to UN measures of food security, all Gazans are classified as “IPC Stage 3 or higher.” This means that 100% of Gaza's population suffers from food shortages.
– People drink contaminated water. Some have no choice but to eat animal food. Children suffer from dehydration and illness. Heba Tibi, director of CARE in Gaza and the West Bank, says more and more people are dying from hunger and diseases that are usually treatable.
You have nowhere to run
The Gaza Strip's population of 2.2 million is confined to the area. Therefore, they cannot flee to places where they can get food.
According to the World Food Programme, at least 576,000 people in Gaza – a quarter of the population – are “one step away” from famine. The situation is so desperate that relief organizations say it is not possible to distribute food in an organized manner.
There are reports of a breakdown of law and order with attacks on emergency aid convoys by desperate people searching for food and drink, the Red Cross press release said.
– It's an absolutely impossible situation. Berg says the vast majority of those who need help will probably not get the help they need, as is the case now in Gaza.
Demands an investigation into attacks on people trying to get food
There are regular reports of very bloody attacks on the Gaza Strip. 112 Palestinians were killed and 760 others wounded when a convoy of emergency aid trucks arrived Thursday morning, and Israeli soldiers opened fire on the crowd, according to Palestinian health officials.
Israel admitted that soldiers opened fire on the crowd, but claimed that most of the victims were trampled to death during the chaos that followed the arrival of a convoy of aid trucks. The incident led to very strong international reactions, including from Norway, China and Germany.
The IDF must conduct a full investigation into how the mass panic and shooting occurred, says German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in a statement on X/Twitter. It calls for a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons.
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